I had the pleasure of coming across Dr Maya Angelou’s writings in my teens when many things did not make sense.
As a shy girl who hardly
uttered a word; my spare time was mostly spent with my nose in a book, playing
cassettes in my portable stereo or scribbling notes in my diary. I was slightly
obese, my hair rebelled against school rules and it seemed my chest would
forever be flat. Having had been raised in a predominantly black area, I had
recently been placed in a multiracial school which was in a largely Afrikaans town.
Conforming to the new culture and language had its challenges.
In the midst of my teenage
blues I came across Maya Angelou’s work, though my memory escapes exactly which
book or publication it was. Her distinct yet simple style of writing connected
with me as if we were having a face-to-face conversation. At that moment I
became an immediate fan, volunteered myself as a student of her teachings and
as her spiritual daughter.
I was intrigued by this
woman. She was black and proud without being loud. She looked nothing like a
beauty queen and yet she oozed confidence I could not comprehend. She had taken
many lashes in her life including being raped as a child and living as a mute
to being racially discriminated against, yet she refused to bear the scars on
her back.
Outspoken and firm in her
beliefs, she was never caged. She was a free bird that leapt on the back of the
wind and dared to claim the sky. I realised that if a woman with so many odds against
her could believe that she was unshakable and refused to be defeated, so could
I.
Fast forward to years
later, I’m a mature woman who has encountered many clouds and have risen above
them. “I laugh like I’ve got gold mines digging in my own back yard” and “walk
like I have oil wells pumping in my living room”. I also have no doubt that I’m a phenomenal
woman, just as I am. Thanks to powerful words instilled in me since my youth.
Over the years I read just
about every piece of work that Maya Angelou has ever published and followed her
life with interest.
When I heard the news of
her passing, I immediately posted on social networks that I was “mourning her
loss”. I soon revisited my treasured collection of her books and a recording of her interview on Oprah’s Next Chapter that I’ve kept and watched repeatedly.
It soon dawned on me that it would not make sense to mourn this remarkable
life. It is rather compelling to celebrate its fullness and achievements.
In her book “Letter to My
Daughter”, Maya Angelou wrote that when she found herself filling with rage
over the loss of a loved one, she quickly redirected her focus to what she
learned from them and what legacy was left which could help her in the art of
living a good life.
Well, here’s a few of the
many things I drank from her fountain of wisdom:
- Love
liberates.
- When
you get, give. When you learn, teach.
- You
can be changed by what happens to you, but refuse to be reduced by it .
- Try
to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. Every day you should reach out and touch someone.
- Words
are things. Be careful about the words you use and the words you allow to be
used in your house.
- When
you decide something with an open heart, you’ll make the right decision.
- Make
an effort to change things you don’t like but never complain. If you cannot make a change, change the way you’ve been thinking. You might find a new solution.
- Be
certain that you don’t die without having done something wonderful for humanity.
- Just do right. Try to be all you can be. Try
to be the best human being you can be. Do it because it is the right thing to
do.
With this I thank God for
her life and for blessing her with talent and wisdom that she generously
shared. May her soul rest in peace.
